<
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/19/business/space-junk-mission-astroscale-scn/>
"A demonstration mission to test new technology developed by the company
Astroscale to clean up space debris is set to launch in the early hours of
Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
A Soyuz 2 rocket will launch a 175-kilogram spacecraft with a satellite
attached into space. The spacecraft and the 17-kilogram satellite – the debris
to be cleaned up – will separate and then perform a high-stakes game of cat and
mouse over the next few months.
Astroscale will test the spacecraft’s ability to snatch a satellite and bring
it down toward the Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up. It will do this
in a series of different maneuvers, with the mission expected to end in
September or October of this year.
As part of the mission, the company will test whether the spacecraft can catch
and dock with the satellite as it tumbles through space at up to 17,500 miles
per hour – several times faster than the speed of a bullet.
The tests rely on a magnetic docking plate to latch onto the satellite.
Astroscale said it hopes all new satellites being launched will ultimately have
this docking plate, allowing them to be safely removed at the end of their life
span. What’s more, Astroscale said it had already signed a deal with internet
satellite company OneWeb."
Via The RISKS Digest Volume 32 Issue 56:
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/32/56#subj6
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
